Following the passing of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, social media has been inundated with messages of condolences and tributes. Amid these, some users have resorted to political comparisons, contrasting the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with those of Manmohan Singh. One viral post on X claims that during Manmohan Singh’s tenure, India’s GDP growth rate was at 10.8% in 2006-07, while under Narendra Modi, the GDP reportedly fell as low as -7.39% in 2020-21.
Hansraj Meena said, ‘This is the difference between running a country and talking.’
Chetan Sirra Dausa stated, ‘You can see who was better.’
Besides this Ajay Kumar shared this post.
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We began our fact-checking process by reviewing relevant information available online. During our search, we came across a press release issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on July 26, 2023. The release stated: “It is evident that FY 2020-21 witnessed a contraction of 5.8 percent. Due to the low base in 2020-21, the growth rate in 2021-22 was registered at a high 9.1 percent. However, in 2022-23, the growth rate of 7.2 percent was achieved despite the high base of 2021-22 (9.1 percent). Therefore, the 7.2 percent growth in 2022-23 is healthy.”
The contraction of 5.8 percent in 2020-21 was primarily due to the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, which was one of the strictest in the world and lasted for approximately two months. A gradual unlocking process followed in 22 phases, with seven of these implemented in 2020 alone.
The viral graphic, however, conveniently omits the fact that following the lockdown, India’s GDP growth rebounded to 9.1 percent in 2021-22 and 7.2 percent in 2022-23.
To provide further context, we examined the GDP growth rates of seven major economies—China, the United States, France, Germany, Japan, India, and the United Kingdom—in 2020-21. Notably, all these economies experienced contraction during that period.
The claimants have compared the highest GDP growth year during the UPA tenure (10.8 percent in 2006-07) to the lowest during the NDA tenure (-5.8 percent in 2020-21), which was heavily impacted by the global pandemic. However, they fail to mention that during the UPA era, India’s GDP growth fell to as low as 4.5 percent in 2012-13, largely due to a series of corruption scandals that shook the country’s economy.
Conclusion: The claim comparing GDP growth rates during UPA and NDA tenures is misleading. It cherry-picks the highest growth year of the UPA era (2006-07) and contrasts it with the lowest growth year of the NDA era (2020-21), which was significantly impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The data ignores the strong economic recovery in subsequent years, with GDP growth rates of 9.1% in 2021-22 and 7.2% in 2022-23.
| Claim | Congress supporters claim India’s GDP growth peaked at 10.8% during UPA but fell to -7.39% under NDA during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Claimed by | Social media users |
| Fact Check | The claim selectively compares UPA’s best year to NDA’s pandemic-hit year, ignoring recovery rates of 9.1% (2021-22) and 7.2% (2022-23). |
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